Worldview Entertainment has signed on to finance and produce Takashi Miike’s crime thriller “The Outsider” starring Tom Hardy, the company announced Tuesday.

Before he plays Elton John in “Rocketman,” Hardy (seen above in “Warrior”) will play an American former G.I. in post-WWII Japan who joins a Yakuza crime family.

Andrew Baldwin wrote the screenplay based on an idea by Linson Entertainment’s John Linson, who will produce with Art Linson alongside Worldview’s Christopher Woodrow and Molly Conners and QED’s Bill Block.

QED International will handle foreign sales and introduce the film to buyers next week at the American Film Market, while CAA, which packaged and arranged financing, will represent domestic rights.

“’The Outsider’ is an action-packed, hard-hitting thriller with huge commercial potential. We are excited to do our second film in less than six months with Tom Hardy and look forward to working with Bill Block and his team at QED,” said Woodrow.

“We’re excited to partner with Worldview on this outstanding international thriller,” added Block. “The combination of Tom Hardy and Takashi Miike, along with Andrew’s electrifying script, is exactly the kind of package that our distribution partners are seeking to drive their theatrical business worldwide.”